


When the battle starts (I will comfort your restless heart)

by Emby81



Category: Avatar: Legend of Korra
Genre: Alternate Universe - Canon Divergence, Bi Mako, Closeted Prince Wu, Gay Prince Wu, Hurt/Comfort, M/M, Mako learns how to deal with trauma, Mako learns to deal with his emotions, Mutual Pining, Not Actually Unrequited Love, Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder - PTSD, Rating May Change, Strangers to Friends to Lovers, Unrequited Love, Wu learns how to be confident
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2020-11-29
Updated: 2020-11-29
Packaged: 2021-03-09 20:36:03
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,437
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/27762361
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Emby81/pseuds/Emby81
Summary: Wu knew he could never be open about his sexuality. That's why he flirts with most of the women that he knows he won't see that often; he doesn't have to commit, and the suspicions are erased. He chose Mako to be his bodyguard mainly because of how competent and reliable he is, but also because Mako was easy on the eyes. A little eye candy would make the days a little more bearable.Wu didn't realize that he could catch feelings after someone shows him basic human decency. Royal Prince Wu was royally fucked.
Relationships: Mako/Prince Wu (Avatar)
Comments: 5
Kudos: 53





	When the battle starts (I will comfort your restless heart)

**Author's Note:**

> My first Wuko fic! So excited.

Wu was six years old when his life was first threatened.

Him and his parents were in the car. He doesn't remember where they were going, or where they were coming from, but Wu remembers when a car pulled up to their left and swerved right into them. Their car was pushed straight into oncoming traffic.

Wu doesn't remember the next few seconds. But he does remember what came after. His neck hurt from whiplash, and his head hurt from his brain jostling around in his skull. But those details didn't matter much at the moment, because a couple feet in front of him sat his parents, bloodied and unmoving. 

The person in the car was a radical, an assassin. At least, that's what his Great-Aunt told him. Later in life, Wu doesn't doubt that that person was an assassin, but he does doubt their political affiliations, if they had any in the first place. Aunt Hou-Ting never did like discussing the details of his parent's death.

When Wu was 16, he was stabbed. An assassin, wearing all black, lithe and quick, snuck into his room. 

He was lying in his bed, awake. He couldn't quiet his mind, his thoughts consisting of his parents and memories that he isn't sure are totally real. He was jolted back to reality by a bump.

Wu looked around in the dark, and saw the moonlight highlighting billowing curtains. The windows were open, and Wu felt a breeze caress his cheeks, but he didn't remember opening the window recently. He left his bed to close the windows, all of his instincts screaming at him to get up. Wu's heart pounded against his ribcage, and all he heard was his own breath. 

The next second, a silhouette appeared in front of him, and Wu screamed. They were close. 

Then, all Wu knew was pain. Sharp, and straight through to his stomach. The lights turned on as the guards rushed in, quickly encasing the culprit in stone, and Wu saw the deep red soaking his mint green night gown. Wu was in pain, and he only saw red and felt cold.

The next thing he knew, Wu was waking up in the palace infirmary. The dagger missed his heart by five inches, and he was extremely lucky to be alive. _Lucky_ , Wu scoffed, when he would wake up from another nightmare. He used to only have ones about his bloodied parents and the Queen yelling at him. Now he has nightmares of red and cold. 

And now, the third time Wu's life was threatened, he was being escorted out of the only home he has known his entire life, with nothing but the clothes on his back, his wallet, and a picture of his parents.

The guards led Wu through the throne room, simply because it was the quickest way to the balloons, where he saw the body of his Great-Aunt. Her face was red, scratch marks marring her neck. Wu never cared for his Aunt; she was terribly cruel to every living thing, especially to him. But he did pity her.

"Where are we going?" Wu asked the guards as they boarded the balloon. The guards did not answer immediately. "I _said_ , where are we going? If you do not answer me, I will not come peacefully."

"We are going to Republic City," the lead guard finally answered.

"Why?"

"This is the safety plan in case of government collapse, your highness."

"Okay. Thank you for telling me," Wu said, sitting down on the furniture. The danger was over, but Wu's heart would not stop pounding. His hands shaking and breath trembling, Wu did what the royal physician advised. He breathed deeply and started counting until he was no longer seeing red and he could hear his own thoughts again.

* * *

The suite was as just as luxurious as his chambers at the palace. President Raiko and Chief Beifong were incredibly accommodating, and Wu wasn't anything but grateful. (Although, Raiko did give off a skeevy air. Or maybe that was just Wu.)

The royal guards stayed outside of the suite, watching the doors, but Wu wants them to go back to the Earth Kingdom and protect his people. So Wu will be getting a personal body guard. But he just could not, for the life of him, focus on the list of choices. So much had happened that day.

The morning starting like any other: with the rude awakening of an alarm clock, coupled with the gentle caress of the sun through small windows. (Wu hated large windows ever since he was 16.) After his long, detailed morning routine--because Wu was a prince, he could never be caught "looking like a commoner," or so his Aunt would say--Wu came face-to-face with the tall, handsome guard that always smiled at him. This was bad, because while Wu could be self-indulgent and smile back, bathing in the miniscule amount of affection that kind eyes brought, he was afraid that he wore his heart on his sleeve and people would speculate. _Prince Wu_ , twenty years old and still singled? As he was directly in the line of succession, Prince Wu was expected to marry young and have many children. And, never mind the riots that would break out if everyone found out that the Prince was a _homosexual._ The anti-monarchy papers already call him too _effeminate_ for a royal man. 

So Wu briskly walked to the University, where he focused so hard on his work that he didn't have room for a panic attack, went to the bathrooms (where he promptly had a panic attack), and complimented strange women on his way back to the palace. 

On his way, Wu would, once again, think about how beautiful those women were, thought that maybe he could have a wife, but then the thought of _consummation_ entered his mind and the idea was quickly shot down. Wu has tried to force himself to have romantic feelings with women before, and it turned out disastrous. If Wu married, he could never develop feelings for the poor woman, and only hurt her unintentionally. 

Wu's bleak thoughts of the future were interrupted, however, buy a large, echoing boom. Confused, Wu peeked out of the window to see a glowing, melting gap in the Upper Ring wall.

* * *

Wu was looking through the list of policemen and women that Chief Beifong gave him to chose his bodyguard. So many to choose, and Wu was indecisive already. To combat this, Wu crossed off ones that he was definitely not considering. People who had bad track records, older men (not for any particular reason other than strange old men tended to creep Wu out). It was on lunch break when he saw one of the old newspapers stashed in the bathroom that would keep occupants, well, occupied. It showed a picture of a young man, about Wu's age, carrying an unconscious women. Above, read 'AVATAR KORRA RETURNED'. 

He observed the young man carrying Avatar Korra. His eyebrows were set, eyes determined, as if promising himself that this would never happen to someone he loved again. His hair was dark, shoulders broad, and even though it was only a newspaper picture, Wu could feel the intimidating air that he exuded. (Wu felt his chest ache; he didn't acknowledge it, but he was slightly jealous. He wanted that kind of love, but even his heart knows he may never get it.)

When Wu recognized the man carrying the Avatar, he knew then who would be his first choice as bodyguard. 

("Ha! The kids not gonna like this," Chief Beifong laughed to herself as she read Wu's letter later that day.)

* * *

Wu was getting ready to go to bed early. He's had a _very_ stressful day, to be fair, and he needed his beauty sleep if he wanted to maintain his professional, princely air. That was when he noticed the huge problem: Huge windows. Their was no way he was going to fall asleep very soon with those, so he checked the locks and closed the curtains. But then came another problem: the darkness, which was worse. So Wu got back up and slightly opened the curtains and double check the locks. _When pointed left, the windows are locked,_ Wu reminded himself, _left means locked, left means locked..._

Satisfied, Wu laid back down, facing the windows, where the slightest of light came through from the city outside. Sirens wailed in the distance, and car engines rumbled on the street below. The sounds were comforting, and although he tossed and turned a bit, Wu slept through the night.


End file.
